The method of the present invention relates to a particular system and method for automatic audit data archive within a remote database backup system. A remote database backup is maintained by (i) transferring a package of audit data from a primary database system to a remote system process; (ii) then writing the audit data to a remote disk; (iii) then applying the audited changes to the remote database backup copy. When a network communication error occurs during the first step (i) involving transferring a package of audit data from a primary database to a remote system process, then, the primary database system activity is temporarily suspended.
This temporary suspension of database activity presents problems and is counter-productive to the goal of maintaining 100% database availability. Thus, in this regard, controlling the audit removal is thus an important issue in optimizing the resource utilization on both the hosts and will lead to improved system performance.
One prior art method to which the method of the present invention generally relates is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,164, entitled “Computerized System And Method For Managing Information”. This prior art method is a system and method for managing data stored in a database. A mainframe computer associated with the database is operable to execute customer information control system (CICS) transactions that control an application program for processing the stored data. An open socket command from a remote computer enables CICS sockets at the mainframe for connecting the mainframe and the remote computer via a web server. The remote computer communicates on a global network using a client-server communications protocol and the CICS sockets permit the remote computer to communicate with the mainframe by the client-server communications protocol. Following the open socket command, the CICS transactions are executable by the remote computer for controlling the application program at the mainframe. In another form, the system and method extract selected academic registration data from the database for generating a course audit report.
This method of the prior art differs from the present invention in that this prior art relates to methods that manage applications and the processing of stored data. The method of present invention, however, teaches methods to backup and remove audit data from disk. The method of the present invention also provides optimization of disk storage utilization that is not provided in the prior art method.
Yet another prior art method to which the method of the present invention generally relates is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,915, entitled “Remote Duplicate Database Facility With Improved Throughput And Fault Tolerance”. This prior art method is a local computer system having a local database, application programs that modify the local database, and a transaction manager that stores audit records in a local audit trail reflecting those application program modifications to the local database. Each audit record has an associated audit trail position. A remotely located computer system has a backup database. A remote data duplication facility (RDF) is partially located in the local computer system and partially in the remote computer for maintaining virtual synchronization of the backup database with the local database. The RDF includes an extractor process executed by said local computer system, and a receiver process and a plurality of updater processes executed by the remote computer system. The extractor process extracts audit records from the local audit trail and transmits those records to the receiver process. When the receiver process detects that it is receiving audit records not in accordance with a predefined sequence, it transmits an error message to the extractor process. Otherwise it distributes the received audit records to a plurality of image trail files in the remote computer system for processing by updater processes, which initiate redo operations of database modifications denoted in at least a subset of the audit records against the backup database. The extractor process responds to each error message by obtaining a restart audit trail position value from the receiver process and then extracting audit records from the local audit trail starting at that restart audit trail position value.
The method of the prior art and the method of the present invention are only similar in the resemblance of the present invention's use of the RDB (Remote Data Base) system in architecture. However, the method of this prior art does not solve the problem of the resource contention created by (1) the need to backup and remove audit data at the source and, (2) maintaining said audit data on disk until it is no longer needed by a remote computer system. The present invention, however, does indeed solve the problem of this contention by the methods discussed that (1) delay the removal of audit data at the source following backup, and (2) send a message from the remote computer system to the primary system to initiate the removal of audit data.
Yet another prior art method to which the method of the present invention generally relates is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,150, entitled “System And Method For Database Synchronization”. This prior art method is a database synchronization system (10) is disclosed that synchronizes the content of a central database stored on a central computer (16) with one or more remote databases stored on one or more remote computers (18). A data extract and transfer application (20) is provided on each of the remote computers (18). A migrator application (26) processes the audit trail files (24) of the remote computer (18) to create a database of change (28). When the database of change (28) reaches a size threshold, the data extract and transfer application (20) shuts down the migrator application (26), processes the database of change (28), and restarts the migrator application (26) to begin the creation of another database of change. The data and information in the database of change are converted into a series of flat files (48) that are transferred over a communications line (14) from each of the remote computers (18) to the central computer (16).
The method described in this prior art teaches methods of audit data extraction for the purpose of maintaining a remote database copy much like the present inventions RDB system, but does not teach the methods taught by the method of the present invention that (1) delay the removal of audit data at the source following backup, and (2) send a message from the remote computer system to the primary system to initiate the removal of audit data.
Yet another prior art method to which the method of the present invention generally relates is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,608, entitled “Method And System For Migrating Data”. This prior art method is a method and system of the invention migrate data from one or more ASCII files and/or from one or more relational databases to one or more relational database tables without the need to write code. In doing so, the invention allows the user to define mapping templates and conditionals to assist in translating and transforming data values. This method also enforces referential integrity, data dependencies, order of operations, and uniqueness constraints using a predefined set of migration rules templates that are based on the principles of relational design. The invention uses these mapping and migration rules templates to intelligently generate instructions for updating or populating relational database destination tables. The instructions control the data transfer, data translation, data transformation, data validation, foreign key insertion, and the addition of required codes and flags in the destination tables. A migration engine of the system includes a data map architect and an update processor which spawns the templates and migrates the data dynamically, utilizing the data definitions for the destination tables. In addition to supporting conversion efforts, this invention provides support for performing consolidation, restoration from an archive, migration to new instances, upgrading to a new release, adding bolt-ons and enhancements, and changing business requirements. The audit trail in the invention is complete enough that the entire migration process can be reversed without compromising the integrity of either the source or the destination application.
This method of the prior art differs from the method of the present invention in that the prior art teaches methods to migrate existing data and mentions an “audit trail” that records the entire migration process. However, the prior art fails to mention when or how to backup and remove audit data, whereas the method of the present invention teaches this in detail. Since audit generation, by its very nature, is an ever-increasing process, removal of this audit data is critical to maintaining disk resource utilization. The method of the present invention teaches the necessary methods to backup and remove audit data for enabling greater disk accessibility.